By: Julie O’Donoghue – Louisiana Illuminator
The Louisiana Legislature has declined to reconvene for a veto override session this year.
The majority of lawmakers – 87 members of the House of Representatives and 29 in the Senate – voted not to hold a special session in which lawmakers try to overturn Gov. Jeff Landry’s rejection of bills.
In all, the governor vetoed 15 pieces of the legislation and removed portions of three budget proposals that legislators could have voted to reinstate. The legislation Landry rejected dealt with matters ranging from new registered dietician regulations to a prohibition on outdoor balloon releases.
Veto override sessions are extremely rare in Louisiana. There have been just three in the past 50 years, and they all took place from 2021-23.
At the time, state government was politically divided with Democrat John Bel Edwards as governor and Republicans controlling the two legislative chambers. Edwards and the GOP legislative leadership were at odds over topics such as transgender rights and political redistricting.
Landry and legislative leaders are all Republicans, making it much less likely lawmakers would openly buck the governor to overturn one of his decisions.